Roof rail for a portable storage container

ABSTRACT

A portable storage container includes a plurality of upstanding sidewalls defining a storage space therebetween such that the sidewalls are disposed in an outward direction from the storage space. A roof sheet is disposed above the sidewalls. At least one roof rail is connected to a corresponding one of the sidewalls. The roof rail includes a horizontal portion defining a first plane that is horizontally oriented, and a down-sloping portion attached to an outer edge of the horizontal portion. The down-sloping portion extends in an outward direction away from the horizontal portion and defines a second plane oriented at an angle of approximately between ten degrees and eighty degrees relative to the first plane. At least one fastener attaches the roof sheet to a corresponding down-sloping portion of a corresponding roof rail. The fastener extends through the roof sheet.

CROSS-REFERENCED TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation-in-part of U.S. patent applicationSer. No. 16/865,322, filed on May 2, 2020, the disclosure of which ishereby incorporated by reference in its entirety for all purposes.

BACKGROUND

The present invention relates to a roof for a portable storagecontainer. Such storage containers are frequently placed outdoors wherethey are exposed to rain, and thus the roofs of the containers need tobe fully waterproof in order to prevent water damage to the contents ofthe container. FIG. 1 illustrates a portion of a rail 10 that extendsalong one of the edges of the rectangular top of the container. Asimilar rail 10 extends along each of the other three edges of therectangular top of the container, as shown in FIG. 2 . Each rail 10includes a vertically-oriented portion 12 attached to ahorizontally-oriented portion 14. A roof sheet (not shown) may bedisposed above rails 10 and may be riveted to each horizontally-orientedportion 14. A silicone-based sealant is typically applied to the rivetjoints in order to make the joints waterproof. However, the sealantdegrades with age, which makes it difficult to maintain the rivet jointsin a waterproof state. Further, often due to workmanship errors, thereis often too much spacing between rivets, or rivets are missed, in whichcase the sealant cannot adequately cover the gap, which leads to waterleaks.

SUMMARY

The present invention may include a roof rail having a down-slopingupper surface to which a roof sheet may be riveted. The down-slopingsurface enables any water near the rivet joint to drain down away fromthe joint by force of gravity. Like the topside, the underside of therivet joint is exposed to ambient air and is on a downslope tofacilitate drainage and evaporation of any moisture near the rivetjoint.

The invention comprises, in one form thereof, a portable storagecontainer including a plurality of upstanding sidewalls defining astorage space therebetween such that the sidewalls are disposed in anoutward direction from the storage space. A roof sheet is disposed abovethe sidewalls. At least one roof rail is connected to a correspondingone of the sidewalls. The roof rail includes a horizontal portiondefining a first plane that is horizontally oriented, and a down-slopingportion attached to an outer edge of the horizontal portion. Thedown-sloping portion extends in an outward direction away from thehorizontal portion and defines a second plane oriented at an angle ofapproximately between ten degrees and eighty degrees relative to thefirst plane. At least one fastener attaches the roof sheet to acorresponding down-sloping portion of a corresponding roof rail. Suchfasteners extend through the roof sheet.

The invention comprises, in another form thereof, a roof rail forinterconnecting a roof sheet and an upstanding sidewall of a portablestorage container. The roof rail includes a cap portion including afirst edge and a second edge. The cap portion defines a first plane andis horizontally oriented while supporting a body of the roof sheet. Abrim portion of the roof rail is attached to the first edge of the capportion. The brim portion defines a second plane oriented at an angle ofapproximately between ten degrees and eighty degrees relative to thefirst plane. The brim portion is fastened to an outer periphery of theroof sheet while the brim portion slopes downward from the cap portionand while the cap portion is horizontally oriented and supports the bodyof the roof sheet. A leg portion is connected to the second edge of thecap portion. The leg portion is oriented perpendicular to the capportion. The leg portion is attached to the upstanding sidewall of theportable storage container.

The invention comprises, in yet another form thereof, a method ofinstalling a roof sheet on a portable storage container, includingattaching a roof rail to one of a plurality of upstanding sidewalls thatdefine a storage space therebetween such that the sidewalls are disposedoutwardly from the storage space. A roof sheet is placed above theupstanding sidewalls such that a horizontal portion of the roof railsupports a body of the roof sheet. A periphery of the roof sheet isfastened to a down-sloping portion of the roof rail. The down-slopingportion extends outwardly and downwardly from an outer edge of thehorizontal portion. A first plane defined by the horizontal portion isoriented at an angle of approximately between ten degrees and eightydegrees relative to a second plane defined by the down-sloping portion.

An advantage of the present invention is that water may drain away fromthe rivet joints that attach the roof sheet to the container.

Another advantage of the present invention is that waterproofing may beachieved without using sealant on the rivet joints that attach the roofsheet to the container.

Yet another advantage of the present invention is that even if there isworkmanship error during riveting the roof is still waterproof.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The above mentioned and other features and objects of this invention,and the manner of attaining them, will become more apparent and theinvention itself will be better understood by reference to the followingdescription of an embodiment of the invention taken in conjunction withthe accompanying drawings, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a roof rail of the prior art;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of four roof rails of the prior art intheir relative positions as when they are attached to the rectangulartop of a portable storage container;

FIG. 3 is a rear perspective view of one embodiment of a portablestorage container of the present invention including four roof railsattached to the rectangular top of the portable storage container;

FIG. 4 is a rear view of the portable storage container of FIG. 3 alongline 4-4;

FIG. 5 is an enlarged view of area 5 in FIG. 4 ;

FIG. 6 is an enlarged view of area 6 in FIG. 4 ;

FIG. 7 is a fragmentary perspective view of one of the roof rails ofFIG. 3 ; and

FIG. 8 is a side view of one of the roof rails of FIG. 3 .

FIG. 9 is a rear view of an upper corner of another embodiment of aportable storage container of the present invention including anotherembodiment of a roof rail of the present invention.

FIG. 10 is a front view of the roof rail of FIG. 9 .

Corresponding reference characters indicate corresponding partsthroughout the several views. Although the drawings representembodiments of the present invention, the drawings are not necessarilyto scale and certain features may be exaggerated in order to betterillustrate and explain the present invention. Although theexemplification set out herein illustrates embodiments of the invention,in several forms, the embodiments disclosed below are not intended to beexhaustive or to be construed as limiting the scope of the invention tothe precise forms disclosed.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The embodiments hereinafter disclosed are not intended to be exhaustiveor limit the invention to the precise forms disclosed in the followingdescription. Rather the embodiments are chosen and described so thatothers skilled in the art may utilize its teachings.

Referring to the drawings, wherein like numerals indicate like elements,FIG. 3 illustrates one embodiment of four roof rails 20 of the presentinvention attached to the rectangular top of a portable storagecontainer 26. In one embodiment, portable storage container 26 has aheight h approximately between seven and eight feet, a width wapproximately between seven and eight feet, and a length 1 approximatelybetween eight and twenty feet.

FIG. 4 illustrates portable storage container 26 along line 4-4 of FIG.3 . Portable storage container 26 includes roof rails 20 (FIG. 5 ),rivet pins 28, a roof sheet 30, a roof sheet support tube 32, sidepanels 34, back posts 36, a rear wall 38, floor rails 40 (FIG. 6 ),wooden floor 42, a floor support 44 and a floor support tube 46.

Optional brackets 47 may be spaced along the lengths of roof rails 20,and each bracket 47 may be attached to both roof rail 20 and roof sheet30. As shown in FIG. 3 , brackets 47 do not cover most of the lengths ofroof rails 20.

As shown in FIG. 7 , roof rail 20 includes a vertically-oriented legportion 48 which is attached to a horizontally-oriented base portion 50,which is attached to a vertically-oriented back portion 52, which isattached to a horizontally-oriented cap portion 54, which is attached toa down-sloping brim portion 56. Leg portions 48 may be attached oradhered to side panels 34. Back portions 52 may be attached or adheredto roof sheet support tubes 32.

As shown in FIG. 5 , cap portion 54 may support a body of roof sheet 30.A periphery of roof sheet 30 may be attached to brim portion 56 by rivetpin 28. The body of roof sheet 30 may be inside of and surrounded by theperiphery of roof sheet 30.

As shown in FIG. 8 , brim portion 56 may be oriented at an angle of 150degrees relative to cap portion 54. That is, brim portion 56 may beoriented at an angle θ of 30 degrees down from the horizontal plane 57of cap portion 54. A height 58 of roof rail 20 may be about 135millimeters (mm); a width 60 of roof rail 20 may be about 44 mm; athickness 62 of roof rail 20 may be about 3 mm; a height 64 of backportion 52 may be about 60 mm; a width 66 of cap portion 54 may be about23 mm; and a width 68 of brim portion 56 may be about 16 mm.

Although angle θ is shown as being about 30 degrees, angle θ may beapproximately between 10 degrees and 80 degrees within the scope of theinvention. An advantage of angle θ being less than 90 degrees is thatthe integrity of the galvanization coating (e.g., zinc) on a rail 20made of steel or iron is easier to maintain the smaller angle θ is.Similarly, because the shape of roof sheet 30 at its outer edges mayconform to the shape of the upper surfaces of cap portion 54 and brimportion 56, an advantage of angle θ being less than 90 degrees is thatthe integrity of a roof sheet 30 having any brittleness is easier tomaintain the smaller angle θ is. Another advantage of angle θ being lessthan 90 degrees is that there may be less warping during galvanizing.

FIG. 9 illustrates a rear view of an upper corner of another embodimentof a portable storage container 926 of the present invention includinganother embodiment of a roof rail 920 of the present invention. Portablestorage container 926 includes roof rails 920, a roof sheet 930 and anL-shaped seal 970. L-shaped seal 970 includes a right-angled notch 972for snugly receiving a distal tip 974 of roof rail 920. Thus, L-shapedseal 970 may be securely snapped into place within roof rail 920 due toan interference fit, and may thereby provide a watertight seal toprevent water from entering roof rail 920.

Optional brackets 947 may be spaced along the lengths of roof rails 920,and each bracket 947 may be attached to roof sheet 930. Similarly tobrackets 47, brackets 947 do not cover most of the lengths of roof rails920.

FIG. 10 illustrates roof rail 920 of FIG. 9 from an opposite direction.Roof rail 920 includes a vertically-oriented leg portion 948 which isattached to a horizontally-oriented base portion 950, which is attachedto a vertically-oriented back portion 952, which is attached to ahorizontally-oriented cap portion 954, which is attached to avertically-oriented brim portion 956. Leg portions 948 may be attachedor adhered to side panels (not shown) of container 926, which may besimilar to side panels 34 of container 26. Leg portions 948 may becoplanar with brim portion 956. Back portions 952 may be attached oradhered to roof sheet support tubes (not shown) of container 926, whichmay be similar to roof sheet support tubes 32 of container 26.

As shown in FIG. 9 , cap portion 954 may support a body of roof sheet930. A periphery of roof sheet 930 may be attached to brim portion 956by rivet pins (not shown), adhered to brim portion 956, or may not bedirectly attached or adhered to brim portion 956 at all. The body ofroof sheet 930 may be inside of and surrounded by the periphery of roofsheet 930.

Brim portion 956 may be oriented at an angle of 90 degrees relative tocap portion 954. That is, brim portion 956 may be oriented at an angle θof 90 degrees down from the horizontal plane 957 of cap portion 954. Aheight 958 of roof rail 920 may be about 135 millimeters (mm); a width960 of roof rail 920 may be about 44 mm; a thickness 962 of roof rail920 may be about 3 mm; a height 964 of back portion 952 may be about 60mm; and a height 976 of brim portion 956 may be about 20 mm. Althoughangle θ is shown as being about 90 degrees, angle θ may be approximatelybetween 75 degrees and 105 degrees within the scope of the invention.

Other aspects and features of container 926 may be substantially similarto those of container 26, and are not described in detail herein inorder to avoid needless repetition.

While this invention has been described as having an exemplary design,the present invention may be further modified within the spirit andscope of this disclosure. This application is therefore intended tocover any variations, uses, or adaptations of the invention using itsgeneral principles. Further, this application is intended to cover suchdepartures from the present disclosure as come within known or customarypractice in the art to which this invention pertains.

What is claimed is:
 1. A roof rail for interconnecting a roof sheet andan upstanding sidewall of a portable storage container, the roof railcomprising: a cap portion including a first edge and a second edge, thecap portion defining a first plane and being configured to behorizontally oriented while supporting a body of the roof sheet; a brimportion attached to the first edge of the cap portion, the brim portiondefining a second plane oriented at an angle of approximately betweenseventy-five degrees and one hundred five degrees relative to the firstplane, the brim portion being configured to be fastened to an outerperiphery of the roof sheet while the brim portion extends downward fromthe cap portion and while the cap portion is horizontally oriented andsupports the body of the roof sheet; and a leg portion connected to theinner edge of the cap portion, the leg portion being orientedperpendicular to the cap portion, the leg portion being configured to beattached to the upstanding sidewall of the portable storage container.2. The roof rail of claim 1, wherein the brim portion is configured tobe fastened to an outer periphery of the roof sheet by a fastenerextending through both the roof sheet and the brim portion.
 3. The roofrail of claim 1, wherein the second plane is oriented at an angle ofapproximately between eighty-five degrees and ninety-five degreesrelative to the first plane.
 4. The roof rail of claim 1, wherein theroof rail further comprises a back portion oriented perpendicular to thecap portion, a first edge of the back portion being attached to thesecond edge of the cap portion, the back portion being disposed belowthe cap portion while the cap portion is horizontally oriented andsupports the body of the roof sheet.
 5. The roof rail of claim 4,wherein the roof rail further comprises a base portion attached to asecond edge of the back portion and disposed outwardly of the backportion.
 6. The roof rail of claim 5, wherein the leg portion isattached to an outward edge of the base portion.
 7. The roof rail ofclaim 1, wherein the leg portion is substantially coplanar with the brimportion.
 8. A roof rail for interconnecting a roof sheet and anupstanding sidewall of a portable storage container, the roof railcomprising: a cap portion including an outer edge and an inner edge, thecap portion defining a first plane and being configured to behorizontally oriented while supporting a body of the roof sheet; a brimportion attached to the outer edge of the cap portion, the brim portiondefining a second plane oriented at an angle of approximately betweenseventy degrees and one hundred ten degrees relative to the first plane,the brim portion being configured to be fastened to an outer peripheryof the roof sheet while the brim portion extends downward from the capportion and while the cap portion is horizontally oriented and supportsthe body of the roof sheet; and a leg portion connected to the inneredge of the cap portion, the leg portion being oriented perpendicular tothe cap portion, the leg portion being configured to be attached to theupstanding sidewall of the portable storage container.
 9. The roof railof claim 8, wherein the brim portion is configured to be adhered to anouter periphery of the roof sheet.
 10. The roof rail of claim 8, whereinthe second plane is oriented at an angle of approximately between eightydegrees and one hundred degrees relative to the first plane.
 11. Theroof rail of claim 8, wherein the roof rail further comprises a backportion oriented perpendicular to the cap portion, a first edge of theback portion being attached to the inner edge of the cap portion, theback portion being disposed below the cap portion while the cap portionis horizontally oriented and supports the body of the roof sheet. 12.The roof rail of claim 11, wherein the roof rail further comprises abase portion attached to a second edge of the back portion and disposedoutwardly of the back portion.
 13. The roof rail of claim 12, whereinthe leg portion is attached to an outward edge of the base portion. 14.The roof rail of claim 8, wherein the leg portion is substantiallycoplanar with the brim portion.
 15. A roof rail for interconnecting aroof sheet and an upstanding sidewall of a portable storage container,the roof rail comprising: a cap portion including an outer edge and aninner edge, the cap portion defining a first plane and being configuredto be horizontally oriented while supporting a body of the roof sheet; abrim portion attached to the outer edge of the cap portion, the brimportion defining a second plane oriented at an angle of approximatelybetween sixty-five degrees and one hundred fifteen degrees relative tothe first plane, the brim portion being configured to be fastened to anouter periphery of the roof sheet while the brim portion extendsdownward from the cap portion and while the cap portion is horizontallyoriented and supports the body of the roof sheet; a middle portionhaving an upper end and a lower end, the upper end being attached to theinner edge of the cap portion; and a leg portion connected to the lowerend of the middle portion, the leg portion being attached to theupstanding sidewall of the portable storage container.
 16. The roof railof claim 15, wherein the second plane is oriented at an angle ofapproximately ninety degrees relative to the first plane.
 17. The roofrail of claim 15, wherein the middle portion includes: a back portionhaving a top edge attached to the inner edge of the cap portion, theback portion being disposed below the cap portion while the cap portionsupports the body of the roof sheet; and a base portion attached to abottom edge of the back portion and disposed outwardly of the backportion.
 18. The roof rail of claim 17, wherein the leg portion isattached to an outer edge of the base portion.
 19. The roof rail ofclaim 15, wherein the brim portion is configured to be separated from anouter periphery of the roof sheet by a gap.
 20. The roof rail of claim15, wherein the leg portion is substantially coplanar with the brimportion.